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Skillz Partners with Special Olympics Southern California to Host First Live Streamed Mobile eSports Charity TournamentSAN FRANCISCO, March 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Skillz, the worldwide leader in mobile eSports, today announced the results of its first live streamed mobile eSports charity tournament. The event took place on March 7 and was broadcast on Twitch by "Doublelift," a top 10 streamer and professional "League of Legends" player with more than 945,000 followers and 50 million stream views. The tournament drew more than 140,000 views over the course of the stream, with a total of over 7.1 million minutes watched. All proceeds from the tournament supported Special Olympics Southern California, helping to provide free sports training and competitions to athletes with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics enriches the lives of more than 28,500 athletes through sports, health and leadership programs. This tournament is the first time that the Southern California program has partnered with an eSports company, and represents a new way for the organization to raise funds and reach new audiences. "We have been witnessing the massive growth of eSports, and saw an immediate connection with our company mission," said Bill Shumard, President and CEO of Special Olympics Southern California. "Skillz shares our vision of democratizing the sports world, allowing everyone to compete and socialize." The tournament was the final broadcast for leading Twitch streamer "Doublelift" before joining Team Liquid to finish out the North American League of Legends Championship Series spring split, and provided viewers one final opportunity to engage with the popular streamer. "With over 292 billion minutes streamed last year on Twitch, it is clear that eSports are now mainstream broadcast content," said Andrew Paradise, founder and CEOof Skillz. "While most eSports broadcasts mirror offline sports like football and basketball with top players competing and spectators watching, Skillz is changing the game by letting anyone enter, compete and have their gameplay broadcast." With this tournament, Skillz and Special Olympics Southern California delivered the first ever interactive mobile eSports experience to a major broadcasting outlet, allowing spectators to join the tournament at any time. The Skillz title featured during the charity tournament was "Cube Cube," a matching game developed by Tether Studios. For more information on Skillz-enabled games and implementing mobile eSports competitions, visit www.skillz.com or email [email protected]. About Special Olympics About Skillz Press Contact
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/skillz-partners-with-special-olympics-southern-california-to-host-first-live-streamed-mobile-esports-charity-tournament-300423706.html SOURCE Skillz |